UEFA Youth League domestic champions path third round: Olympiacos, AZ among teams through

The new-look 2024/25 UEFA Youth League domestic champions path is compete with ten clubs earning spots in Friday's last 32 draw following the third and final round.

Holders Olympiacos are still in contention to retain their title after Stavros Pnevmonidis, one of several players from last season's victorious side aiming for another triumph, equalised for a first-leg 1-1 draw at Trenčín then struck twice in a 4-1 home win.

AZ Alkmaar, who like Olympiacos last season won this competition in 2022/23 from the domestic champions path, followed up their 2-1 comeback win at home to Manchester United with a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. AZ now have gone a record 21 consecutive Youth League games unbeaten over 90 minutes (not counting penalty shoot-outs), having begun the season sharing the mark of 17 with Chelsea.

Domestic champions path specialists Midtjylland are through for a record-extending seventh time after a comfortable aggregate success against Legia Warszawa. Also into the round of 32 are former semi-finalists Hoffenheim, debutants Real Betis and SK Rapid plus Lokomotiva Zagreb, Puskás Akadémia and Trabzonspor, none of who have made it into the new year in the UEFA Youth League before.

Dynamo Kyiv prevailed 9-1 overall against another newcomer, 2 Korriku. One of only two clubs went from the first to third round along with FK Sarajevo, who were knocked out by Trabzonspor, 2 Korriku of Kosovo were among six entrants from associations never previously represented.

Midtjylland knocked out Legia Legia Warszawa - Janusz Partyka

Another of the six entrants from associations never previously represented, Malta's Valletta, got through the opening round, producing a dramatic late second-leg comeback against Honka Espoo of Finland before winning on penalties, though they were then eliminated by Auxerre.

Several other clubs became the first from their nations to get past a round of this competition before losing in the second stage: Montenegro's Budućnost Podgorica, Latvia's Daugavpils (who conceded in the 90th minute against Cliftonville, equalised deep in added time, then won on spot kicks), Luxembourg's Progrès Niederkorn, Estonia's Tallinna Kalev and Lithuania's Žalgiris.

How the domestic champions path worked

Under the new format, the entry in this path increased from 32 to 52 teams, with an extra round and ten teams progressing to the new round of 32, rather than eight to the play-offs as previously.

• The domestic champions path was played as three rounds of two-legged ties, all drawn on Tuesday 3 September.
• The 24 clubs from the lowest-ranked entering associations began in the first round.
• Clubs from the 28 top-ranked entering associations, including holders Olympiacos, began their campaigns in the second round.
• The ten third-round winners progress to the round of 32 and face the teams finishing between seventh and 16th in the UEFA Champions League path league phase.

Third round

Second legs

Tuesday 17 December

Genk 2-1 Puskás Akadémia (agg: 2-2, Puskás Akadémia win 6-5 on penalties)

Wednesday 11 December

Lokomotiva Zagreb 4-1 Farul Constanța (agg: 6-1)
Olympiacos 4-1 Trenčín (agg 5-2)
Trabzonspor 6-1 Sarajevo (agg: 8-3)
2 Korriku 1-4 Dynamo Kyiv (agg: 1-9)
SK Rapid 3-0 Basel (agg: 5-1)
Midtjylland 7-0 Legia Warszawa (agg: 9-0)
Sassuolo 1-1 Real Betis (agg: 2-4)
Hoffenheim 1-0 Auxerre (agg: 3-1)

Tuesday 10 December

Manchester United 0-0 AZ Alkmaar (agg: 1-2)

First legs

Wednesday 27 November

Legia Warszawa 0-2 Midtyjlland
Dynamo Kyiv 5-0 2 Korriku 
Farul Constanța 0-2 Lokomotiva Zagreb
Sarajevo 2-2 Trabzonspor
Puskás Akadémia 1-0 Genk
Real Betis 3-1 Sassuolo
Trenčín 1-1 Olympiacos
Auxerre 1-2 Hoffenheim

Tuesday 26 November

AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Manchester United
Basel 1-2 SK Rapid

Team guide

• Holders Olympiacos and 2022/23 winners AZ Alkmaar both began their victorious seasons in the domestic champions path, which had only previously produced one winner – Salzburg in 2016/17.

• Hoffenheim made the 2018/19 semi-finals on their only previous entry (via the Champions League path).

• Midtjylland have progressed through the domestic champions path a record six times, twice reaching the quarter-finals. They knocked out Legia in the second and final round in the first season of the domestic champions path in 2015/16.

• Continuing their debut campaigns are 2 Korriku (the first-ever entrants from Kosovo), Auxerre, Real Betis, Rapid, and Sassuolo.

• Legia, Lokomotiva, Puskás Akadémia, Sarajevo, Trabzonspor and Trenčín are also aiming to get to the post-New Year knockout phase for the first time.

• 2 Korriku and Sarajevo both began in the first round.

Second round

Second legs

Wednesday 6 November
Kairat 0-5 Real Betis (agg: 1-11)
IMT Novi Beograd 1-0 Farul Constanța (agg: 1-2)
SK Rapid 3-2 Braga (agg: 3-2)
CSKA-Sofia 1-3 Genk (agg: 2-6)
Sabah 1-2 Basel (agg: 1-8)
Pafos 0-3 Legia Warszawa (agg: 0-6)
Puskás Akadémia 3-0 Aberdeen (agg: 8-1)
Maribor 1-3 Dynamo Kyiv (agg: 2-4)
Zbrojovka Brno 1-3 Trenčín (agg: 3-6)
Budućnost Podgorica 2-5 Trabzonspor (agg: 3-8)
Hoffenheim 4-1 IFK Göteborg (agg: 7-1)
AZ Alkmaar 4-1 Strømsgodset (agg: 8-2)
Valletta 0-2 Auxerre (agg: 0-7)
Tallinna Kalev 1-2 Olympiacos (agg: 1-7)
Sassuolo 4-0 Daugavpils (agg: 9-0)
UCD 1-3 2 Korriku (agg: 2-5)
Manchester United 6-0 Žalgiris (agg: 11-2)

Tuesday 5 November
Midtjylland 5-0 Progrès Niederkorn (agg: 9-0) 

Sunday 27 October
Dinamo-Minsk 0-0 Lokomotiva Zagreb (agg: 1-2)

Match cancelled
FK Sarajevo 3-0 Maccabi Petah-Tikva (match cancelled – Maccabi Petah-Tikva withdrawn, agg: 6-0)

Lokomotiva Zagreb came through one of the closest second-round tiesNK Lokomotiva Zagreb

First legs

Wednesday 23 October
Daugavpils 0-5 Sassuolo 
Legia Warszawa 3-0 Pafos
Dynamo Kyiv 1-1 Maribor
Lokomotiva Zagreb 2-1 Dinamo-Minsk
Farul Constanța 2-0 IMT Novi Beograd
Real Betis 6-1 Kairat 
Olympiacos 5-0 Tallinna Kalev
2 Korriku 2-1 UCD
IFK Göteborg 0-3 Hoffenheim
Trenčín 3-2 Zbrojovka Brno
Žalgiris 2-5 Manchester United
Trabzonspor 3-1 Budućnost Podgorica 
Auxerre 5-0 Valletta
Basel 6-0 Sabah 
Progrès Niederkorn 0-4 Midtjylland
Strømsgodset 1-4 AZ Alkmaar 
Aberdeen 1-5 Puskás Akadémia

Tuesday 22 October
Braga 0-0 SK Rapid
Genk 3-1 CSKA-Sofia

Match cancelled
Maccabi Petah-Tikva 0-3 FK Sarajevo (match cancelled – Maccabi Petah-Tikva withdrawn)

Debutants Real Betis defeated Kairat Real Betis Balompié

Team guide

• Auxerre are the 14th different French participants in the competition as a whole, sharing the record with Germany.

• Along with Auxerre, also making their debuts in round two were Aberdeen, CSKA-Sofia, IFK Göteborg, IMT, Rapid Wien, Real Betis, Sabah, Sassuolo, Strømsgodset and Zbrojovka Brno.

• The debutants through from round one were 2 Korriku and Valletta, the first entrants from Kosovo and Malta respectively, plus Budućnost Podgorica, Progrès Niederkorn and Tallinna Kalev.

• Prior to their merger with Farul, Viitorul previously reached the 2016/17 round of 16.

First round results

Second legs

Wednesday 2 October
2 Korriku 2-1 Bylis (agg: 4-2)
Academia Rebeja Chisinau 1-4 Kairat (agg: 2-6)
Maribor 2-0 Lincoln Red Imps (agg: 8-0)
FK Sarajevo 2-0 AP Brera Strumica (agg: 4-2)
Budućnost Podgorica 4-1 Dinamo Tbilisi (agg: 6-4)
Progrès Niederkorn 3-0 HB (agg: 5-1)
Valletta 3-2 Honka Espoo (agg: 3-3, Valletta win 3-0 on penalties)
FC Santa Coloma 0-4 Tallinna Kalev (agg: 0-11)
Cliftonville 2-1 Daugavpils (agg: 2-2, Daugavpils win 4-2 on penalties)
Stjarnan 3-2 UCD (agg: 3-5)

Tuesday 1 October
The New Saints 0-4 Žalgiris (agg: 2-7)

Sunday 22 September
Pyunik 1-2 Dinamo-Minsk (agg: 3-6) 

First legs

Wednesday 18 September 
Kairat 2-1 Academia Rebeja Chisinau 
Bylis 1-2 2 Korriku 
Daugavpils 1-0 Cliftonville 
Dinamo Tbilisi 3-2 Budućnost Podgorica
Honka Espoo 1-0 Valletta
Žalgiris 3-2 The New Saints 
Dinamo-Minsk 4-2 Pyunik
Tallinna Kalev 7-0 FC Santa Coloma 
Lincoln Red Imps 0-6 Maribor 
HB 1-2 Progrès Niederkorn 
UCD 3-0 Stjarnan

Tuesday 17 September 
AP Brera Strumica 2-2 FK Sarajevo

Team guide

• Making their debuts in this round were 2 Korriku, Academia Rebeja, Brera Strumica, Budućnost Podgorica, Bylis, Cliftonville, FC Santa Coloma, HB, Lincoln Red Imps, Progrès Niederkorn, Tallinna Kalev, TNS and Valletta.

• Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Malta and Wales were represented for the first time.

Knockouts & final four

A single knockout phase will be played with one-legged ties, starting with the round of 32. The clubs ranked 1 to 6 (Champions League path) will play against the clubs ranked 17 to 22. The clubs ranked 7 to 16 will face the ten clubs that qualify via the domestic champions path.

A further open draw will be held for the round of 16 onwards.

The tournament will, as before, conclude with a final four (semi-finals and final) played at Colovray Sports Centre in Nyon, Switzerland.

Knockout draw and match dates

Round of 32 draw: 20 December, Nyon 
Round of 32: 11/12 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 14 February, Nyon
Round of 16: 4/5 March
Quarter-finals: 1/2 April
Semi-finals: 25 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)
Final: 28 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)